The announcement today that the mandatory death
penalty will be abolished for 11 offences should be considered Malaysia’s first
step towards total abolition of the death penalty.

“The government has sadly reneged on its earlier
commitment to abolish the death penalty in totality, but we urge the government
to keep its promise to abolish the death penalty once and for all at the
soonest opportunity,” Amnesty International Malaysia Executive Director Shamini
Darshni Kaliemuthu said today.

On 13 March 2019, Deputy Minister in charge of Law
Mohamed Hanipa Maidin announced to Parliament that the Government is proposing
to introduce sentencing discretion for 11 offences under the Penal Code and
Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which currently carry the mandatory
death penalty. The change would leave the imposition of the death penalty at
the hands of judges.

“The disappointing decision today seems to suggest
that abolishing the mandatory death penalty is a watered-down compromise where
the government appears to have bowed to political and public pressure to retain
the death penalty. The government must reconsider. The death penalty is the
ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that does not have a place in
civilized society,” Shamini said.

It is expected that bills to abolish the mandatory
death penalty will be tabled in Parliament in the current sitting which ends on
11 April.

“The abolition of the mandatory death penalty will be
a critical change in Malaysian law that will lead to advances in the protection
of the rights of those facing the death penalty. The introduction of full
discretion at sentencing would allow judges to consider the individual
circumstances of the offender as well as of the offence while taking into
consideration any mitigating factors. This could potentially lead to a decrease
in the number of death sentences imposed. However, this does not go far enough
in bringing about the stated goal of abolition and should be a very first step
in the direction,” Shamini said.

Whether mandatory or discretionary, the death penalty
does not serve as a deterrent nor does it reduce crime.

“The criminal justice system in any country is far
from perfect, and mistakes can and will happen. Instances of wrongful
executions could happen and would be an egregious error. The death penalty is
irreversible in its nature, it is a punishment that perpetuates the cycle of
violence into society. It is imposed and administered through justice systems
that can be vulnerable to discrimination and error – particularly when
safeguards protecting against use of torture or other ill-treatment to extract
confessions from defendants are lacking. It perpetuates the cycle of violence
it seeks to stop in society, while studies consistently show that it has no unique
deterrent effect on crime,” Shamini said.

Amnesty International Malaysia opposes the death
penalty unconditionally as a violation of the right to life as proclaimed in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and as the ultimate cruel, inhuman
and degrading punishment.

“The government must stay the course and abolish the
death penalty once and for all. The full abolition of the death penalty would
be an exemplary move for Malaysia’s commitment to the promotion and protection
of human rights and will resonate widely in the Southeast Asian region where we
believe Malaysia could emerge as a leader in human rights.”

Amnesty International Malaysia also calls on the
Government and prison authorities across the country to maintain the moratorium
on all executions established in July 2018.

The Sengwer people in Kenya have a deep, spiritual bond with the beautiful and vast Embobut Forest. It’s their ancestral land where they have lived for centuries. But this Indigenous community of beekeepers and cattle herders is being violently evicted by the Kenyan government.

In the name of “conservation”, forest guards and police have burned an estimated 2,600 houses since 2012, making some 4,600 people homeless. In January 2018, one man was shot dead and another seriously injured. The violence is in direct violation of repeated court orders that should protect this Indigenous community.

Sengwer people are losing their homes, livelihoods and cultural identity. Some are now living outside the forest and have been left in crushing poverty. Women are often hit hardest, struggling on their own to care for families as some men stay in the forest or have abandoned their families.

The government says it wants to reduce deforestation, but there is no evidence that the Sengwer have damaged the forest. These Indigenous people should be recognized as the owners and natural custodians of the Embobut Forest, as their livelihoods, identity and spirituality rely on it. They are determined to resist. Let’s stand with them today.

Tell Kenya to let the Sengwer people live on their land in peace.

Atena Daemi

Like so many, Atena Daemi dreams of an end to the death penalty in Iran. She’s written Facebook and Twitter posts criticizing the country’s execution record. She’s handed out leaflets. And she’s taken part in a peaceful protest against the execution of a young woman. Simple actions which sadly, in Iran, take great courage.

Incredibly, these activities have been cited as evidence of her criminal activity and now she’s been sentenced to seven years in jail. Her trial was a sham – it took just 15 minutes and she was convicted on trumped-up charges, including gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security.

Her cruel treatment is one more bitter example of the intense crackdown on people who speak out for a fairer Iran. Dozens have been imprisoned, and many others face surveillance, interrogations and drawn-out prosecutions, forcing them into silence.

Atena has suffered so much already. She’s been beaten, pepper sprayed and forced into solitary confinement, but she continues to fight for human rights. Earlier this year, she went on hunger strike to protest her transfer to a notorious prison. Her health has deteriorated alarmingly while in prison. She must be released immediately.